U.S. masterminds ‘Cuban Twitter,’ Koch brother lights into Dems, and more must-reads

Billionaire businessman Charles Koch takes to the op-ed pages of The Wall Street Journal to blast Democrats who have been attacking him and his brother David for “un-American” activities. Koch, who is the chairman and CEO of Koch Industries, doesn’t mention names, but the piece is clearly aimed at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other Democrats who have been bashing the Republican donors. “The fundamental concepts of dignity, respect, equality before the law and personal freedom are under attack by the nation’s own government,” Koch writes. “That’s why, if we want to restore a free society and create greater well-being and opportunity for all Americans, we have no choice but to fight for those principles.”

The U.S. government masterminded the creation of a “Cuban Twitter,” the Associated Press is reporting. The communications network was designed to undermine the communist government on the island, built with secret shell companies and financed through foreign banks.

A “stinkburger”? That’s what President Barack Obama called House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s latest fiscal blueprint in a speech in Michigan. The Washington Post reports from the scene, where Obama was promoting his proposal to raise the minimum wage. He visited a local deli called Zingerman’s before the speech and later told the crowd about Ryan’s budget, “If they tried to sell this sandwich at Zingerman’s, they’d have to call it the ‘stinkburger,’ or the ‘meanwich.’”

If Marco Rubio runs for president in 2016, he won’t run for Senate at the same time. That’s what the Florida Republican told a conservative radio host Wednesday, according to the Huffington Post. Rubio dismissed the idea of having an “exit strategy” while seeking the nation’s highest office. “I think, by and large, when you choose to do something as big as that, you’ve really got to be focused on that and not have an exit strategy,” Rubio said.

Democrats have a slight edge in the battle for control of Congress, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday. But only slight. Four in 10 Americans say they would vote for a Democrat for Congress vs. 38% who say they would choose a Republican for the U.S. House of Representatives. USA Today has more.